Spinning magic (1/3)

Dear Reader,

I am a hand spinner. I make yarn. I am also a witch. This means that I practice the ancient art of spinning with intent. The act of spinning yarn is the act of transforming a handful of fluff into something usable with a stick. Like almost all of the other fiber arts, spinning is a dying art because the labor of the practice is hard to fit into our busy daily lives. Hobbyist spinners and artisan spinners help keep this alive. I would be astounded if I found a number of them who spun their yarn with focused intent to transform a situation or a think. Some do so in the process of making prayer shawls. This is a form of spinning magic but it is fairly rare in the general population of spinners from what I can tell.

I work with a drop spindle and distaff quite regularly when the weather is fine. The neighbors will slow down as they're driving by trying to figure out what I'm doing as I am out taking my daily walk. I'm developing a reputation as the village weirdo between my scarves and my eccentric hobby. Meditation is the act of focusing your mind upon something. Magic is the act of focusing your mind and your will upon something you are attempting to change and directing your spiritual energy along that line of focus. Spinning lends itself well to both practices.

Drawing the energy from your hand and into the yarn you are making even as you are drawing the fiber into the drafting triangle gives you a tactile sensation of pulling the energy out of yourself. Releasing the twist from the spindle into the yarn gives you a visual of the energy (both spiritual and physical) going into the yarn. Yarn that is spun with intention can be used for a wide range of magical uses. It can be used to make cords for knot magic, prayer shawls or squares, or bags for holding spell components.  It can also be ritually burned to release the energy.

It is my practice to take yarn that I have used to bless or work healing/protection magic with and fashion it into an object for the recipient to have. Yarn that I have used to work a curse or destructive magic with I will burn. This, however, is not the only way that spinning can be used in magic. It can be powerful for other forms of magic as well. This I will discuss in my next posts.